Well, Charles and I have finally found a reception site, Gary's Loft. It's more than we had budgeted -- $3,200 for a Sunday -- but then every space was more than we budgeted.
Gary's Loft is a huge, nicely designed penthouse (5,000 square feet on one floor, plus an additional floor for the ceremony) with funky thrift-shop furniture. Unlike a lot of places, we can choose our own caterer and do our own liquor, which is how we're planning to cut costs. It's in midtown--so it'll be easy for out-of-town guests to reach. It not only has air conditioning and heating (many sites don't) but a fancypants stereo system. And it's a least $1,000 cheaper than any other comparable loft we could find (not exactly a bargain but affordable under our budget).
Charles and I also just really liked Gary, who strikes us as a reliable, no-bullshit type. He said he'd even give us a finder's fee if we refer someone to him. Sooooo if any of you reading this are looking for an event space, kindly mention our names....
Hey kids, congratulations! Our wedding was done on the cheap, too, and I wanted to turn you on to our wedding photographer. He was at a place called Wedding Hill in Flushing. We got a CD-rom with 150 photos for around $400. And the pics were really high quality.
Posted by: Eva Pendleton | 10/28/2005 at 11:58 AM
hey, congrats!!! just came across this site tonight. me & my fiance are fellow bklynites in the midst of planning a wedding too. it's too bad i hadn't seend ur site earlier as our reception site was a great deal - the Foundry in LIC $6500 for 12 hours, yup 12 hours!!! It's an awesome space. We have a great DJ who is really reasonable if you need that. Please let me know if you have any leads on any places to have a rehearsal dinner or post-wedding brunch. Thanks and good luck planning!
Posted by: chari | 11/10/2005 at 10:50 PM
We loved The Foundry, chari. It was, bar none, our favorite site at the beginning of our search. It was what we were looking for before we knew what we were looking for. The more we looked into it, the more we liked it but in the end it didn't meet our needs.
It isn't quite large enough for us if we can't use the outdoor space, and we don't want to gamble on good weather. It was also more than we wanted to spend. I think your per-hour rate is better than ours, but we aren't going to need the space for that long.
Posted by: Charles Star | 11/11/2005 at 01:56 PM
Geez, it's so nice it almost makes me want to get married. How long is the offer of referral fees good for? ;-)
Posted by: Beeeej | 02/14/2006 at 04:27 PM
Great looking place! I look forward to reading more :)
Posted by: The Wedding Diva | 02/19/2006 at 09:19 PM
This place looks way cool. The NY prices make me appreciate getting the Durham Armory (basically a gigantic box) for about $1K.
When your big day? Mine's in July and I like to compare my state of unreadiness...
Posted by: Ruby Sinreich | 03/30/2006 at 09:27 AM
hi carrie & charles,
your ideas regarding weddings seem to mirror mine to a tee and i love what you've planned so far - - i'm even looking into gary's other spaces! (can i still give your names for a referral?) i also love the fun writing style you each have - - this site has been quite entertaining! i'm wondering if i can ask some questions re: what you're doing at the space? would you mind sharing what you're planning as far as tables/chairs/linens, plates/cups/utensils, set-up, clean-up and that kind of thing? also, would you mind sharing the total budget you are working with? thanks so much for sharing your experiences in this process!
-diane
Posted by: diane | 05/19/2006 at 12:38 PM
Of course you can use us, Diane! Please do (and if you do, let us know...)
We are planning on renting all the setup stuff (though we haven't figured out where) and we are trying to be all-in for $15K. If our caterer (not full-service) doesn't take care of setup and cleanup, we are going to hire friends.
Ruby - Labor Day weekend, so thanks for making us feel like we have plenty of time.
Posted by: Charles Star | 05/30/2006 at 06:02 PM
Hey Chari and Charles Star. I was looking into the Foundry and I want to know more. What's included in the price? Is there a sound system? I'm having a hard time staying within budget anywhere in NY. Any leads on affordable caterers? I'm thinking of doing a cocktail reception to cut costs. Anyone have ideas?
Posted by: Yvette | 08/10/2006 at 12:53 PM
There is a sound system, yes. We're using Hoomas for catering; not a full-service caterer - a small middle eastern joint. Cheap and tasty.
Posted by: carrie | 08/25/2006 at 03:01 PM
Thanks for this helpful site. Love the name. I actually just eloped and honeymooned in Europe -mostly Greece but am not looking at a space for a reception in NYC. Restaurant, loft space, for about 60. We are really trying to keep in cheap for a kick ass party since we spent a pretty penny partying in Amstredam and the Greek isles. If anyone needs ideas about that area of the world, please let me know. Anyone have ideas? Space? Restaurants?
Reasonable caterers? DJ? It could be a buffet to save money.
Grateful,
Susan
Posted by: susan pilar velasquez | 10/22/2006 at 02:05 PM
Hi,
CAN SOMEONE HELP ME?!
I am annoyed and a little all over the place trying to create a wonderful event and evening on a SMALL- VERY SMALL budget!
My husband and I will be celebrating our 10 Year Anniversary and would like to have a renewal of vows ceremony/cocktail party.
Were looking for an inexpensive non-tradtional location that we can have the ceremony and reception all at the same place.
My searches have just made me exhausted. Oh and I would love it to be in Brooklyn, New York as that is where we met. I just hate the idea of spending unneccesarily and to be quite honest we have 2 kids so no money to spare (laugh out loud)
HELP ME -
Posted by: Rasheeda Spears | 11/27/2006 at 02:25 PM
Hi Guys,
CAN SOMEONE HELP ME?!
I am going crazy and all over the place trying to create a wonderful event and evening on a $10K budget. Do you think that's too small? I'm looking for a place to have on a Friday or a Sunday;where I can have 150 guest with great food. If you guys think I should spend more the most I can try to spend is $15K.
I was looking in the charter house but seeing the pics of Gary's Loft is beautiful. I don't think 150 people are going to fit there. Am I that cheap?
Posted by: Jal | 09/23/2007 at 10:48 AM
I should read the comments more often.
Jal, I think a 150 person event with great food for under 10K in a rented space is going to be tough - but wanting to do it doesn't make you cheap. We wanted to do it also! Unfortunately, I don't know any place to help you make it happen.
150 is probably too big for the Gary's Loft space that we used, but if you have all of the seating upstairs and move the bar and dancing to the half-floor below, it MIGHT work. Good luck!
Posted by: Charles | 11/04/2007 at 08:12 AM
Hey Chari-- Not sure if you are still reading this blog, but what did you end up spending for all of your rentals? And would you use that same company again?
If so, what is the name? I would love to have our wedding at the Foundry but I am concerned about what the total price will be once we have rented everything for the space. Valerie
Posted by: Valerie | 11/10/2007 at 01:49 PM
We used Alan Party Rentals:
http://www.alanpartyrentals.com/
A wedding planner I met said that they tended to have the best prices... I called two other places; one was similarly priced and the other was more expensive. I can't remember what it cost but it was between $2k and $3k.
We liked them, though there was some confusion about when they would pick up the stuff. Just make sure if you double and triple check the delivery and pickup info before hand.
Also, we made sure to tell them that we've never rented stuff before and asked them to look over our list and see if we missed anything. Most rental company customers are professional event planners, so I found that helpful to point out...
good luck,
carrie
Posted by: carrie | 11/10/2007 at 05:39 PM
By the way: to save money, we cheated a little with glasses and had some premium plastic cups at the bar. No one seemed to notice and it saved quite a bit...
Posted by: carrie | 11/10/2007 at 05:41 PM
Hi! Love your blog. We *love* and are considering using the loft, and wonder if you had any trouble getting all those people up to the space, or other logistical, etc issues. Thanks so much!
Posted by: Meg | 03/05/2008 at 03:14 PM
We didn't have any logistical problems at all. The trickle of people in at the beginning of the wedding and the slow exodus of people at the end of the wedding meant that there weren't crowds around the elevator.
No other logistical issues at all. We highly recommend the space.
Posted by: Charles Star | 03/13/2008 at 02:23 PM
Any chance we can have a conversation? We are Brooklynites trying to achieve the same thing and I'd love to be able to pick your brain. We are on a budget as well and would like to know who is catering your reception and how much it cost. I'd also love to find out how you handled the liquor. Drop me an email if you get a chance. Thanks so much.
JAS
Posted by: Joseph | 04/20/2008 at 12:27 PM
i just love the domain name of this site. Thats what i was saying when i went to a wedding last week.
Posted by: wedding ideas | 03/27/2009 at 02:28 AM